Pilatus your dead right.
The way I look at it is that with the FAA examiners it's their business. They are like self employed people. If they fail to many people then instructors won't send thier students too them, if they pass to many people the FAA will come down on them.
Whereas the JAA examiners don't have to worry weather or not you pass or not. It's a rather unethical to give someone an IR ticket with regard to your own business reputation.
The FAA IR works for ME it lets me do everything I want to do with aviation. I bet you never thought you would hear me say this but...
if i was to have my FAMILY flying around in England/Europe in an aircraft I would perfer the pilot to be JAR qualified but the aircraft on an N reg.